


Places

by james



Series: Your Breath and Mine [2]
Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Character Study, Established Relationship, M/M, Present Tense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-25
Updated: 2012-01-25
Packaged: 2017-10-30 02:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/326756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/james/pseuds/james
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil watches Clint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Places

Phil finds him outside the Avengers' mansion, four o'clock in the morning and even Tony has crawled off to bed -- though Phil will concede that that was Captain Rogers' doing. The others are in their own beds, more or less, sleeping off the events of the last five days. Phil would be there, too, except for this.

Clint is standing with his back to the exterior wall, facing south. The fence around the property is exactly three hundred yards away -- a distance Clint has rolled his eyes at before, even when Tony offered to paint a speck the size of a pea on it for Clint to aim at. Clint goes down to the range provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. to practise his shots, although one could argue that inside the mansion when he's aiming at his teammates with any number of projectiles, it counts as practising, too.

Phil has filed those reports on more than one occasion, and has actually found himself saying to grown adults, "If he hits you, just hit him back." Sometimes he thinks about asking Fury for a transfer. Just for a couple of years until they're out of diapers and can be sent off to boarding school.

But such thoughts are nowhere near as he steps outside. Clint is standing right where Phil expected him to be. It's never exactly the same spot, but it's always facing south if it's before dawn. North, after dusk, and east and west in the daytime and night respectively. Phil doesn't know what that means, doesn't think Clint would explain if he asked. Doubts he'd believe whatever Clint told him, at any rate.

He waits some distance away, watching. Clint isn't moving; his arm is raised and the bow is cocked. Phil finds himself breathing more slowly, as though watching Clint were somehow relaxing _him,_ as well. He waits and after fifteen minutes Clint still hasn't moved. Phil nods to himself and turns, goes back inside.

~~~

He has no idea if, or perhaps when, Clint is aware of him. He should be aware every time, but somehow Phil thinks that _sometimes_ he isn't. There are times Phil finds him completely motionless; sometimes there is a hint of a sway, his hand shifting minutely, or his chest will visibly expand and deflate as he breathes. Phil knows the differences, but hasn't quite figured out which one is _better._ He thinks he should interrupt Clint at some of those times, take him and lead him back inside, take him to bed. But he hasn't quite figured it out, yet, and he doesn't see any reason to try before he knows, in case being wrong is somehow worse than interrupting.

He's made a point of tracking what missions they've completed when he finds Clint outside, and he's found no discernible pattern to what drives him out there. As well, he has found no difference in Clint afterwards, to tell him if he's settled something that was disturbing him, or failed to do so, or if, indeed, there is ever anything to settle.

Clint is just as mouthy, and his grins are no less wide, and -- perhaps most importantly -- the look in his eyes never changes when Phil finally gets him alone. If there are shadows there, Phil can't find them, so perhaps, he thinks, Clint's vigil has nothing to do with psychological demons, at all.

He's heard the story about Clint selling his soul to a demon, and even if that were true, Phil suspects he would have had paperwork to file and signed depositions to that fact from the parties in question. Any demon wanting to own Clint's soul would probably have asked about selling it back by now, anyhow. Phil has feelers out, just in case, letting one or two specific magic users know he's in the market to buy should it turn out the story is true.

But he's no closer to solving the mystery of Clint standing motionless with his bow drawn. Phil has grown used to working with mysteries, knows that most of his jobs involve details he will never be privy to, even when he is the one with the person or object in his hands, passing it off to another agent. He's smart enough to recognise the difference between mysteries he should solve and mysteries better left alone, and it bothers him that this time, _he doesn't know._

It's almost enough to make him ask Clint, if it weren't for the fact he doesn't think he would get an honest answer.

He is fairly certain that it isn't causing any damage, nor that it is failing to cure any. Whatever it is, Clint isn't hurting because of it -- and Phil is willing to admit that that's what makes all the difference. If it means his mother will never have grandchildren, well, she wasn't getting them anyhow once Phil joined S.H.I.E.L.D. Although he suspects Clint would make an excellent father.

Phil is willing to set the mystery aside, taking the time to go out and check on Clint when he can, careful not to disturb him and careful not to mention it to anyone who might do so. He has no idea what the others know -- he suspects Tony knows because JARVIS knows, but Tony is easily distracted and Phil will never, ever admit to nudging Captain Rogers on one or two occasions into doing some distracting. 

Clint comes into the room one afternoon where Phil is pretending to work but is really re-watching videos of the Avengers being doused in purple slime -- non-toxic, non-magic, just bright, glittery slime thanks to some teenage aliens bored with their parents' road trip. Phil sees him smile and he decides that perhaps he could use a little distraction, himself. He stands up and follows Clint out, amused at how Clint's grin widens at not even having to ask.

"I had a line all ready," he complains.

"Use it next time," Phil tells him, and he listens to Clint laugh. He can't help but smile, and any worries he had about Clint standing for an hour outside the mansion that morning have dimmed just a bit more.

When he looks down, later, and Clint is spread out beneath him and his entire body is trembling, thrumming with pleasure and he turns his head and locks his eyes to Phil's -- Phil sees the wide, open gaze and finds himself nearly tumbling down into them. He stills for a moment, and in-between one breath and the next, everything stops. The world freezes around them, and Phil simply breathes out. 

_Oh._

Phil leans down and kisses him, lightly as he can, then holds onto Clint tightly until he can feel his lover return.


End file.
